During semiconductor manufacturing or processing, silicon wafers are moved between processing equipment, typically using robotic techniques. Because wafers are fragile and increasingly larger in size, careful handling and positioning is desirable. In particular, during a transfer, efficient wafer centering on a transfer platform is important. Conventional wafer handling approaches, however, do not provide satisfactory centering solution. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,556,147, 5,570,994, 5,636,964, 5,647,626, 5,664,931.